Suspicious package leads to search of MAX train

Riders heading west on a Max train Friday, Sept. 22, were delayed when a passenger reported seeing a man with a suspicious looking package.

Witnesses reported that a man dressed in black boarded a westbound train Friday afternoon at 181st Avenue and taped a package wrapped in aluminum under his seat, said Peggy LaPoint, TriMet spokeswoman.

Passengers reportedly overheard the man having some sort of dispute with a woman about the package. The man was reportedly talking a little too loudly and used the word bomb, LaPoint said.

A passenger quickly notified the train operator of the situation.

'The operator pretended to have mechanical problems, pulled over and evacuated the train,' LaPoint said.

The conversation was reportedly taken out of context, but a bomb squad swept the bus and determined that the package posed no threat.

'We always ask our riders if they see anything suspicious, or out of the ordinary, to let us know,' LaPoint said. 'We take everything serious when it comes to something like this, so they did the right thing.'